Trick or Treat?

By Graeme

“Welcome
to the party of the year,” Cole said.

Brett sat
down at the second control panel and looked out the window that overlooked the
large hall, which was packed with students. Newly built and not too far from the
college, the building provided an ideal location for large parties and other
major functions.

“I
wouldn’t’ve missed this for anything. I’ve never known one of Peter’s parties to
be a dud, so I can’t believe his dad built this place just because Peter asked.”

“Yeah, I
know. Some people have too much money, if you ask me. It looks like Peter’s gone
all out to make the first party here a smash. I think some of the decorations
are outrageous, but hey, it’s Halloween.

“What are
you dressed as, anyway?”

Brett
looked down at his costume before looking back at Cole. “The Green Goblin, of
course! What about you? You’re just wearing a suit. A real surprise, I have to
admit, but not particularly appropriate to the season.”

Cole
smirked. “I’m that real horror, the one that even vampires wish they could be.”
He paused to let Brett’s curiosity build, and then added, “I’m a lawyer.”

Brett’s
mouth twitched but he managed to avoid smiling. “Hmmm.... I suppose that’s
better than some of the costumes. One couple I saw when I arrived were wearing
Saddam Hussein and Condoleezza Rice masks – not a pretty sight.”

He glanced
out the window and frowned as he stared up at the ceiling. “What’s all that
stuff up there? None of it was there when Peter ran me through how everything
works.”

“Some sort
of midnight surprise is all I was told when I asked the same question. Hey, what
kept you? I was wondering if I was going to be running this show by myself.”

“Sorry
about that. I had to get some people to... uh... kidnap my roommate. He didn’t
want to come to the party.”

Cole
laughed. “What sort of lame brain turns down an invitation to a party?”

Brett shot
his friend a warning glare. “Don’t you dare say that about Nick. If it wasn’t
for him, I would’ve failed at least two subjects last year and I wouldn’t be
here now. He’s quiet and shy, but I owe him a lot. I decided getting him out of
the room for a night would be good for him.”

“I’d think
that setting him up with a girl for the party would make it better.”

“He’s gay?
Okay, there should be some eligible guys around the campus, though I wouldn’t
know how to find one.”

Brett
laughed as he ran a hand through his green hair. “I asked him once if he’s gay.
He just looked me up and down, said I’m not his type, and turned away. I took
the hint and I haven’t asked since.”

“Maybe
he’s one of those asexuals that I read about the other month – you know, not
interested in sex at all.”

“Could be.
Anyway, I’ve got some people keeping an eye on him with strict instructions he’s
not to leave the party before midnight. He’s not happy with me, but I think it’s
for his own good.”

“If you’ve
had him kidnapped, what’s he got as a costume?”

Brett
laughed. “A set of prison overalls. Steve’s dressed up as a prison guard, just
to complete the picture.”

Brett
logged into the computer screen in front of him and brought up the control
software. “What’s the plan? It looks like everything’s been set up ahead of time
and we only need to make sure it all goes to plan, and put in whatever adlibbing
we think necessary,” he said.

“That’s
about it. One of us has to be here at all times and both of us need to be ready
when Peter’s got special events planned, but otherwise it’s easy street.”

“Ten pm,
midnight and two am – is that right?”

“Yeah. No
change from what we were told last week.”

As Brett
scanned the playlist that was displayed, he frowned. “I thought Melissa was
going to pick most of the music.”

“You
noticed, huh? She got sick, and Peter had to do it, so over half the stuff is
techno – what he likes best.”

“Hey, lots
of people like techno – just not all of us. In that case, I’m glad I’m up here.”

* * *

Brett
stretched to loosen the muscles in his back. He’d been crouched over the
controls while Peter had introduced the first part of the celebration. Brett had
had to override the computer when one of the laser-generated ghosts had started
to wander off track, but otherwise it had all gone smoothly.

The music
had restarted and a semi-random wave of color from the overhead lights was
dancing over the crowd. A moody mist was creeping across the floor from fog
machines around the edges.

“Well, I
think it’s time to go and say hello to a certain young lady,” Cole said as he
rose to his feet. “I promised her some dances.”

Brett
chuckled. “Okay, say hello to Helen for me, too. What did she pick as her
costume?”

Cole
chuckled. “With her figure, Helen of Troy, of course.”

Cole had
just reached the door when all the lights in the hall went off and the music
died. After a moment, a set of faint blue lights illuminated the crowd.

“What the
fuck!” Brett said as he scanned the computer screen.

Cole
headed back to his seat. “Did the software crash?”

“Not that
I can see... wait... something’s happening.”

A new
playlist replaced the old one as Brett watched. He recognised the opening chords
as he read the name: the title song from The Phantom of the Opera.

“Look at
that!” Cole said, pointing out the window.

Brett
glanced out and saw a caped figure striding across the dance floor, illuminated
by a bright spotlight. He’d just passed a pair of mummies, when a second
spotlight turned on and revealed a classic Phantom of the Opera mask on the
guy’s face.

“Someone’s
decided to make one cool entrance!” Cole said, slowly shaking his head in
admiration.

“I wonder
who he is and why Peter didn’t tell us,” Brett commented.

“Probably
didn’t want to spoil the surprise. You have to admit that everyone’s watching
the guy. Twenty bucks says it’s a friend of Peter’s and some girl is about to
dragged onto the floor.”

“No bet.
You’re probably right.”

As they
watched, Brett stiffened when a third spotlight shone on the phantom’s target.

“Hey,
that’s a guy!” Cole said.

“That’s
not just any guy, that’s my roommate, Nick!”

The
phantom held out a hand to Nick, who took it and allowed himself to be lead to
the middle of the hall.

Brett and
Cole were still watching when the door to the control room flew open and an
angry Count Dracula stormed in.

“What the
fuck is going on in here? I’m paying you guys to stick to the program, not to
make up your own rubbish!”

“Chill,
Peter. We didn’t do anything – the system did it all itself,” Cole said.

“Well, fix
it! Get rid of that fucking music first, and put something decent on.”

Cole
started typing away while Peter glared out of the window.

“Hey,
that’s two guys out there. Get those spotlights off them! I’m not having my
party ruined by a pair of faggots! Why haven’t you fixed it already?”

Brett
frowned at Peter’s comment as he turned to the other console to access the
lighting controls. He didn’t appreciate the abusive tone, and especially didn’t
like having it directed at his roommate.

“Argh! You
can’t be doing it right. Get out of the way and let me do it,” Peter yelled at
Cole.

Brett
found the same thing as Cole – he was unable to shift the spotlights away from
Nick and the phantom. After a moment’s thought, he accessed the controls and
tried to change the color of the lights to blue, and was surprised when it
worked. His forehead wrinkled as he tried to work out what that meant.

“We’ll
have to reboot the system,” Peter said as he reached over and snatched the
mouse. Moments later he grabbed the keyboard and started typing. “The fucking
thing won’t respond! We’re going to have to power it off.”

Peter got
down and started to crawl under the desk. Brett looked out the window and
watched his roommate dance. The music switched to a rumba and other couples
started dancing. The spotlight on Nick faded as the flashing lights switched
back on.

“You know,
Peter, I don’t think anyone minds. If we can’t get your stuff going again, why
don’t we just let it run as it is?”

Peter’s
voice came up from under the control panels.

“You’ve
got be joking if you think I’m going to let some freakin’ fag take over my
party. I don’t know how he hacked into the system, but I’m not going to let him
get away with it.”

There was
a bright spark and Peter started swearing. “The fucking thing’s alive! I can’t
turn it off.”

Peter slid
out from under the desk, blowing on and shaking one hand. “Okay, but you’d
better have it all fixed by midnight. I’m going to get security to make sure
they catch those guys on the cameras so I can find out who’s ruining my party,”
Peter said as he scrambled to his feet. He threw Brett and Cole a warning glare.
“Remember, midnight.”

“We wait
and see. Whoever set this up seems to want Nick to have a good time, and I’m
with them. If that means Peter gets pissed off, then that’s a price I’m happy to
pay. After his comments about faggots, I don’t care much about what he thinks.”

Cole
looked uncertain, but he stopped trying to alter the computer programming.
“Okay, I suppose... at least the music selection is a lot better.”

“You go
out and see Helen. I’ll look after things here.”

Cole rose
to his feet. “If you’re sure...”

Brett
grinned. “Go! Have some fun.”

Cole left
and headed down the stairs to join the crowd. Brett watched him meet up with his
girlfriend, and then returned his attention to Nick and the phantom. While they
weren’t being highlighted, Brett noticed that a low light was always shining on
the pair, making it easy for him to spot them. He tried to track down how that
was being done, but the computer system wouldn’t let him view the controlling
script.

It wasn’t
long before Brett saw Count Dracula heading towards Nick. Brett frowned while he
tried to work out what he could do, as he didn’t think Peter was just going to
say hello. He configured a strobe light to flash in Peter’s face, but that
delayed Peter for only a few seconds.

Peter
tripped over something just before he reached the two guys. A roman gladiator
and his catwoman partner fell over the prone figure, and then a mini-pile of
bodies formed. A pair of security guards appeared and helped straighten out the
mess while the party continued. Brett was surprised to see the guards carrying
Peter off to the first-aid room.

“I hope
he’s okay, but it looks like that problem’s solved for the moment,” Brett
muttered to himself.

After a
call to learn that Peter had been kicked in the head and was groggy but
otherwise fine, Brett settled back to watch and enjoy the party. Whoever had
reprogrammed the computer system had done a great job in keeping everyone
entertained.

Cole
rejoined him after about thirty minutes and offered to look after things while
Brett went and had some fun, but Brett turned him down. He wanted to keep an eye
on his roommate and the control room was the best place for doing that.

Just
before midnight, everything changed again. As a song ended, all the lights
dimmed and the playlist disappeared from the computer screen.

“What’s
going on now?” Cole asked.

“It
doesn’t look like a crash, so maybe the hacked program has ended. Why don’t you
check if you can bring up the original again,” Brett suggested.

Cole typed
for a few seconds. “Nope, I’m still blocked out.”

A new
playlist appeared and music started playing. A swirl of soft pink and blue
lights played across the hall while a gentle white light illuminated Nick and
the phantom.

“What’s
that playing? How can anyone dance to it?” Brett asked.

“It says
it’s the love theme from Romeo and Juliet. It’s not often you hear
three-four time, anymore,” Cole said.

Brett
looked out. “Nick and that guy are waltzing. Weird!”

Cole
glanced over the dance floor and grinned. “They aren’t the only ones, but
they’re one of the better couples. Whoever picked the music has to be a
romantic – why else would they pick that particular piece?”

The two
guys were still watching when a countdown clock appeared on the display. Brett
glanced at his watch.

“It’s
counting down to midnight,” he said.

“I wonder
if Peter’s surprise is still going to happen. According to the playlist, the
music will finish about fifteen seconds before midnight. Are you ready, Brett?”

“Ready,
but I have no idea what’s going to happen.”

The music
ended as the spotlight on Nick and the phantom started to intensify. The two
guys were in a passionate embrace.

“...
eleven... ten... nine...” Cole muttered.

The light
became dazzlingly bright.

“...
eight... seven...”

A bright
flash illuminated the entire hall. Brett flung an arm across his eyes and then
everything went black. When he lowered his arm, he could see only the emergency
lights and the glow from the computer screen.

“...
six... five...”

A red glow
appeared at the end of the hall. It was hard for Brett to make out through the
spots before his eyes from the previous flash, but it appeared that a
disembodied head about the size of a small bus was floating in the air. A
maniacal chuckle echoed through the hall.

“...
four... three...”

“It’s time
to go...” a deep, inhuman voice rumbled.

“...
two...”

“Your soul
is mine!” The bass rumble sent a shiver through Brett.

“...
one...”

Everything
went black.

“...
zero!”

Screams
rang out across the darkened hall.

* * *

Brett sat
on the edge of his bed, staring across at the comatose figure of his roommate.
When Nick rolled over and opened his eyes, Brett smiled at him.

“Hi, Nick.
How are you feeling?”

“Wh...
what happened?”

“You and
your friend danced nonstop for almost two hours, and then when midnight came,
you collapsed and your friend disappeared. I brought you home. You should’ve
been drinking, Nick. The nurse said you were dehydrated.”

Nick
struggled to an upright position. Brett poured a glass of water and passed it
over. While Nick sipped, Brett kept on talking.

“You
probably don’t remember it, but midnight was the highlight of the party. When
the lights went off, all these boxes on the ceiling opened, and hordes of fake
spiders on bungee cords dropped down onto the crowd. I think the screams lifted
the roof by at least a foot.” Brett chuckled at the memory. “I heard tons of
people telling Peter it was the best Halloween party they’d ever been to.”

Nick shook
his head. “Nah, I can’t remember.”

Brett
waited a moment. “Do you remember anything?”

A smile
appeared as Nick’s eyes lost focus. “Dancing a dream.”

“You know
you outed yourself to everyone there,” Brett said as gently as he could.

Nick
shrugged. “No big deal. It’s not like I intend to go out dating.”

“Didn’t
you tell me when we first started rooming together that you’re single?”

“I am.”

Brett’s
forehead wrinkled. “Then who was that guy you were dancing with last night?”

“My
boyfriend.” Nick sighed and looked out the window.

“But if
you’ve got a boyfriend, that means you’re not single.”

“It’s
kinda hard to explain. We only see each other five times a year: my birthday,
his birthday, Christmas, the anniversary of our first date, and Halloween.”

“Okay... I
still don’t think you can have a boyfriend and call yourself single, but I’ll
let that pass. I can understand those first four dates, but what’s so special
about Halloween that it’s on the list?”

Nick
turned back to Brett. A trail of tears ran down his cheeks to the edges of his
sad smile.

“Because
that’s when he died.”

Brett felt
faint. “Died?” he whispered.

“He died
at the stroke of midnight on Halloween, four years ago. He’s been coming back to
visit me ever since. That’s why I didn’t want to go to the party – I thought
he’d be coming here. I’m glad, though, because that was the best time I’ve had
with him since the accident. Thanks, Brett.”

Nick
nodded at Brett, lay back down on his bed and then rolled over.

Brett
stood up and waited for a few seconds before he staggered out of the room. His
legs didn’t seem to want to support him.

He was
sitting in the coffee shop when his phone rang.

“Brett,
that phantom guy, whoever he is, is an absolute genius!”

“Hi, Cole.
What do you mean?”

“I’ve just
run into Peter. He said the guy managed to hack into the security videos and
erase his image off every single one! All they show is your roommate dancing by
himself!”

The author copyrights this story and retains all rights. This work may not be
duplicated in any form – physical, electronic, audio, or otherwise – without
the author's expressed permission. All applicable copyright laws apply.

Disclaimer: All individuals depicted are fictional, and any
resemblance to real persons is purely coincidental.

I would like to thank Rain from
The Mail Crew for editing this story for me.
I can thoroughly recommend their website to all teenagers who are
gay, lesbian, bi or not sure.

This story first appeared as part of the Gay Authors’ 2006 Fall Anthology.